Georgia

Michlig

,

PhD

Public health research can serve not only as an engine for empirical evidence generation, but also as a gateway to social change. In many regards this change begins with supporting diversity among public health professionals, engaging with non-mainstream approaches to methodology, and confronting/accounting for the impacts of educational and work environments on wellbeing. I believe strongly in the development of the public health profession through teaching and mentorship, and the creation of educational environments that are conducive to student health and wellbeing. As such my recent activities have largely focused on growing training opportunities in occupational mental health at JHSPH. A growing objective of my research aims to contribute to our understanding of how work and work environments impact health and wellbeing. My long-time engagement in refugee health in the American Southwest highlights my commitment to the study of mental and physical health in the context of cultural displacement and refugee resettlement, inclusive of sensitive cultural issues around sexuality and womanhood. From a methodological and ethical standpoint, I believe that community-based and participatory approaches to research are not only more effective at facilitating quality research as compared to mainstream top-down approaches but ensure local relevance and uptake, and my work aims to engage with communities and colleagues as co-equal partners. Having trained in both qualitative and quantitative methods, I employ increasingly innovative mixed methods approaches to address the international health issues of the day.